DirecTV Calls Mobile Play For NFL 'SuperFan' Package

DirecTV, lobbing an extra perk at hardcore gridiron buffs, will let subscribers who shell out $380 per season access live NFL games on an iPhone starting Sunday, Sept. 13.

The iPhone app is an enhancement to the SuperFan upgrade to the NFL Sunday Ticket package and there will be no extra charge for the service beyond the $100 SuperFan fee, said DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer. That's in addition to the $280 per season for the exclusive out-of-market Sunday Ticket.

DirecTV's SuperFan package last season provided 180 games in HD, as well as Internet streaming of every Sunday Ticket game to subscribers' desktop computers.

The mobile SuperCast app will work over 3G networks and local Wi-Fi connections, Pali Research analyst Rich Greenfield wrote in a note Monday.

"While watching NFL games on a cell phone is certainly a niche product (given its cost), it illustrates how DirecTV continues to push technology to cement its brand identity with consumers," he wrote.

The satellite operator announced plans in March to introduce SuperCast Mobile when it extended its exclusive deal with the NFL through 2014 for $1 billion per year.